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(Jeez Mark what are you thinking? I'm tellin yah, the fewer people attend these things the better for us that do. Now here is the plan: Train quietly and get the goods from someone that's really got 'em. Once you can deliver, show the goods off a bit. (Now if your goods aren't that great for heaven's sake don't go anywhere or do anything that might reveal or indicate that you can't do, or know EVERYTHING. That is important! Insulate yourself and build fear in your students!) Claim to teach the "real" stuff, and teach some basics, maybe show a novel technique here or there (if you are less than mediocre technically try selling faith. Then you if anyone questions you, just accuse them of not having faith. Clearly if they had a suffecient amount of (your brand here) faith, they would clearly see what you had! Beautiful! Oh, and tell your students if they train hard enough they'll be good. Even if they never get good, if they train hard and long enough they won't want to admit to themselves that their investment was for little or nothing. Now, this is important again, DON'T teach your students the real stuff if you've really got it because then THEY'LL have it (maybe even better than you at some point ) and THEY might go and teach it too and then EVERYBODY would have it and then you couldn't do what you really ought to do, which is make a pyramid organization! Yeah BABY! If YOU make a pyramid organization than YOU can be at the tippy top and reap all the benefits (whether they be monetary, ego, or . . .heh, heh! ) Just gather up some students, set them up as leaders under you. Make sure they get some sort of benefit, but also have some sort of dependent investment in the structure of the organization (either materially or social/emotionally), and also hold them responsible to grow the organization under them (funneling back up to you). Anyway, that's it! You don't ever have to teach anyone the real stuff. Or you could, but if you grow your organization sufficiently you won't need to. If everything is working properly they won't know what the "real stuff" is, nor will they care . . . and what do you care? You'll have both!!! )

Friends, this is the NON AIKIDO SECTION of the the board. Howard doesn't teach AIKIDO. What could you possibly learn from him? You probably know everything already anyway or your teacher does, or your system does. Even if you DID learn something it MIGHT corrupt you and turn you to the DARK SIDE and we all know YOU DON"T WANT TO GO THERE!!!!

And

He doesn't teach MMA and anything that isn't MMA sucks! So WHY would you want to train with someone that doesn't teach MMA?

And

When Sokaku Takeda got attacked by some construction workers he used a sword to defend himself. Yeah that's right a SWORD. And I think he HURT some of his opponents. So THAT'S what the DARK SIDE will do for you. Ueshiba would never train with anyone like that or do anything like that . . . would he? And CLEARY Takeda's Daito Ryu didn't work in a STREET FIGHT did it? So who want's to learn that? That's all I'm say'n.

Hey! Are you lookin at me??!!!

Yeah I didn't think so!

(So just be cool Mark okay? And tone down the

Quote:

Mark Kruger wrote:

I hope to see you in March in Portland.

stuff or we won't have any room on the mat to train. I think it will be okay. I mean you didn't go nuts and start talking about "internal power" or anything crazy like that!)

I forgot the plan. I blame that on on the concussion I got doing judo.

There, I just admitted to practicing an art that involves competition. That should drive my aikido credibility down to some negative value. If that doesn't work, I'll start talking about competition shooting (guns!!! ).

Well guys I'm most definitely NOT on a training high. In fact, in my own opinion I spent the weekend stinking up the place, getting frustrated with myself for stinking (and therefore more tense), thereby stinking further, etc.

You may have something with the Turkey thing though. The tryptophan could have a relaxing affect and I might get just a little softer. Let's not explore the uses of a frozen Turkey. No need to give the Systema crowd any further "creative" (read painful) ideas.

There were a lot of nice folks there though despite my performance issues. Those that I trained with offered constructive and useful feedback both verbally and physically. And George is always gracious and magnanimous.

And, no offense, but my wife likes my new (old) 70's hairdo and her opinion counts a bit more than yours does in that particular department! Now if I could just get the rest of me to look the way it did in the 70's I'd be in good shape . . . literally!

Thanks to Howie and Joe for coming out! It was a great seminar, though I wish it could have been longer by, like, a
year! Will continue to get the word out so as many people as possible can experience this level of teaching!

And, no offense, but my wife likes my new (old) 70's hairdo and her opinion counts a bit more than yours does in that particular department! Now if I could just get the rest of me to look the way it did in the 70's I'd be in good shape . . . literally!

The" 'do " is "retro", Allen. Very forward in a backwards oriented sort of way...Maybe too cool for you, but Genie liked it too, and we sure aren't trying to look good for each other, so go with it...